Typical vehicle wash systems utilize a variety of vehicle treatment components, including different types of rotary brushes, miter curtains and the like to help remove dirt from a vehicle exterior as part of the wash process. These vehicle wash systems also generally include a high pressure rinse arch to spray water onto the vehicle to help loosen any dirt accumulated thereon. However, the high pressure water is generally emitted from a location disposed away from a vehicle and thus is not completely effective in removing dirt from the vehicle exterior. As such, most vehicle wash facilities include manual washing of the vehicle exterior as a first step in the wash process, including wheels, rocker panels, bumpers and other notoriously hard to clean surfaces to help loosen dirt accumulated thereon so that the wash process may be more effective. Additionally, these systems also generally include nozzles for emitting soap and other chemicals onto the vehicle exterior at various stages of the wash process to assist with the cleaning process as well as to help minimize damage to the vehicle exterior by ensuring that the wash media elements associated with the various vehicle treatment components do not contact a dry vehicle surface. These systems also generally include one or more dryers that are designed to remove excess water from the vehicle surface at the conclusion of the wash process.
A common type of rotary brush apparatus frequently used in these vehicle wash systems include a plurality of media elements that contact, scrub, and clean exterior surfaces of vehicles. These rotary brushes typically include a rotary hub portion with an axis of rotation that is oriented parallel to a vehicle exterior. As the rotary hub is driven about its axis of rotation, the plurality of media elements blossom generally outward (perpendicular with respect to the axis of rotation) due, in part, to centrifugal force, so that they can contact a vehicle exterior to remove dirt and debris and effectuate cleaning. To apply increased scrubbing and cleaning, the rotary hub can be rotated faster to increase the speed at which the media elements contact the vehicle exterior. This generally creates an increased slapping noise due to an increased force of contact between the media elements and the vehicle exterior, which can make the car wash experience unenjoyable for a user. Also, as the speed of the brush increases, the perception of potential damage to the vehicle exterior increases.
These rotary brush apparatuses are generally configured such that the media elements are oriented generally perpendicular to the brush axis of rotation during use. As such, as the rotary hub is driven, the media elements typically only contact the vehicle exterior in a single direction, which limits the cleaning capabilities of the media elements and thus the effectiveness of the wash process. For example, with respect to a conventional side brush apparatus, as the hub rotates, the media elements are configured to contact a side exterior surface of the vehicle in only one direction, i.e., a front to back direction. In other words, the media elements contact a forward part of the exterior surface and move backward along the vehicle exterior before losing contact therewith. As such, any force applied to the vehicle exterior to remove dirt and debris is applied on only a single direction. These rotary brushes are known to have limitations in removing dirt from angled, curved or complex vehicle surfaces, such as wheels or rocker panels.
Rotary brushes having an axis of rotation which is oriented generally perpendicular to a vehicle exterior are also known, for cleaning vehicle wheels. However, these brushes employ hard or rigid media elements, such as synthetic bristles. As the bristles can mar a painted surface, they are not suitable for cleaning or treating a vehicle exterior. Moreover, these rotary brush assemblies also include a rigid hub or backing portion. Thus, if the media elements secured to these rigid structures encounter angled or curved exterior vehicle surfaces, the brush assemblies cannot accommodate these variations and thus are not suitable for use for cleaning a vehicle exterior for this additional reason.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a rotary brush assembly that yields improvements over these deficiencies.